Present_Perfect

ESL Lesson Plan: Present Perfect Tense and Present Perfect Continuous Tense August 20, 2009 This had to be among the most challenging of all the lessons I presented while I was a CELTA trainee. But it was the one lesson that helped me develop a solid understanding of all the tenses. In fact, just last week, when I had to explain the differences between perfect tenses in the present, past, and future to a new student, I was able to do it without once referring to a grammar book. Aaah, score! You can download the lesson plan at the bottom of this post. The differences in the usage of present perfect tense and present perfect continuous tense are so many that it can sometimes be daunting for both the ESL tutor and ESL student. In fact, though native English speakers can almost always use the correct tenses during speech, they often fumble while constructing written sentences using these tenses. A lot of writers try to do without these tenses as much as possible, which really constricts their writing. Preparing this lesson was as much of a headache as presenting it. Truth to tell, the lesson did not go too well (according to me) because one older student kept questioning the rules of the differences between the present perfect tense and the present perfect continuous tense. I think she had genuine doubts but she was also just quizzing me to see when I would break. My co-CELTAtians and the tutor who observed the lesson said I explained the difference quite well but I could see that the student was not so satisfied. Well, I couldn’t do much since I had to move on and complete my lesson.. Too bad I couldn’t spend more time clarifying the differences because I had them all written down on cheat sheet with me. He he! Here’s the cheat sheet I used… I can’t quite remember whether I got this off the internet or in some book. I think it was a combination of both.. I researched extensively in books and on the internet to clarify the difference between the Present Perfect Tense and the Present Perfect Continuous Tense to myself, which is so very important when you’re going to present a grammar concept to ESL students. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – you must have the concepts crystal clear in your own head before you go in front of a class. Try to anticipate all sorts of questions and answer them satisfactorily so you’re not at a loss if you’re in a situation similar to mine. I’m reproducing the cheat sheet here but the lesson plan is only available for download. Once I’m done creating this table, I’m gonna be in no mood to create another one for the lesson plan.. Sigh if only WordPress had a better text editor, I promise I would’ve done it. Present Perfect Tense | Present Perfect Continuous Tense | Used to express that an action is completed or to emphasize the result. e.g. I have walked the dog. | Used to emphasize the duration or continuous course of an action. e.g. I have been walking the dog all morning. | used to emphasize completion of an action e.g. I have walked the dog. | used to emphasize the action, not the completion e.g. I have been walking the dog. | used for past actions that happened recently and are still in the news e.g. She has won a medal. | used for actions that continue into the present e.g. I have been walking the dog all morning. | used for actions that are naturally instant e.g. Oh no! I’ve broken a glass. | used for actions that naturally have a duration e.g. I have been walking the dog all morning. | to state the amount of times an action took place e.g. She has won this competition every year since 1999. | to state the length of time or to state "how long" the action took place. e.g. I have been walking the dog all morning. | The result is more important than the activity itself e.g. I have walked the dog. | The activity is more important than the result. e.g. I have been walking the dog. | Grammar rules for the present prefect tense: Subject + Auxiliary verb (has/have) + Auxiliary verb (been) + Main verb (past participle) The main verb uses the verb form past participle/V3. Negative sentences - "not" is added between the Auxiliary Verb and the main verb Questions - the auxiliary verb comes before the subject | Grammar rules for the present prefect continuous tense: Subject + Auxiliary verb (has/have) + Auxiliary verb (been) + Main verb-ing The auxiliary verb "to be" always stays in the V3/past participle form (been). - ing to added to the base form the main verb. Negative statements - add "not" between the auxiliary verb "have" and the the auxiliary verb "been". Questions - the order is change the order the auxiliary verb "have" comes before the subject. |